Crealde Large Scale Sketching

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As the pandemic progressed, class sizes dwindled at Crealde School of Art. I worked hard to maintain social distancing in the classroom and masks were required. I haven’t seen pre-pandemic class sizes yet, though my online classes have me booked solid 6 days a week.

These two students were friends and both were talented artists. I gave them the challenge of drawing the classroom on very large sheets of paper that completely covered their tables. The sketch above was also done on that massive scale. When starting a sketch the artist is often confronted with a feeling that they could not possibly fit all that they see on the sketch page. This assignment flips that feeling on it’s head. Students can no longer sketch dainty small objects but instead they must draw on a massive scale, to fill the sheet.

The fun thing about working this large is that you can dig in and sketch the smallest details. The sketch still needed to be done in about 3 hours so lines needed to be put down quickly and the entire body is used to put lines down rather than twitching fingertips and wrists the movement of the pencils were influenced by how the student stood and leaned into the sketch. The entire arm, and shoulder and hips would pivot making sketching a much more active sport.

Crealde Table Cloth Sketching

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6 months into the pandemic I was teaching an Urban Sketching course at Crealde School of Art on Sundays. Tables in the room were arranged in tight rows, but I would spread then out into an open circular layout just before class to allow for some social distancing. Masks were required at this point.

My mantra from the very first class is to “fill the page.”  I also want to encourage the students to draw from the hips, trough the shoulders and then to the hand rather than dainty lines put down with wrist or finger movement. To encourage this, I covered each table with white paper tablecloths which become the sketch that needed to be completed. The sketch above was also done on one of these large sheets of paper. You can see the ripped edges on the left and right. I painted the scene much later digitally.

The Crealde Urban Sketching course will start up again in the Spring. I am teaching 6 days a week for Elite Animation Academy and they have a course called “Sketching People Places and Things” which very much like the Urban Sketching course. There are virtual classes for adults now and I have students from as far away ad Borneo!

Crealde Urban Sketching Tent

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One of the first assignments my Urban Sketching students get at Crealde School of Art is trying to sketch this outdoor tent. The day starts with a lesson in 1 point and two point perspective and then we go outside and sketch the tent.

There is a lake behind Crealde and the far shore gives a clear indication of where the horizon line would be in a sketch. Before students get too far into their sketches, I visit each one individually and give them a thumbnail sketch to indicate what features I would look for if I were to attempt the sketch from their angle.

Sometimes we just work in pen and ink and sometimes we push further and use watercolor. It depends on the vibe of the students. Each class tends to focus on one premise which is rolled into what we learned the previous week.

This is the perfect time of year to attend the Urban Sketching Class since the weather is so cool. In most classes we are outside exploring the camp us or heading out to a location to sketch. Past locations have included, a dog park, bowling alley, Panera’s, and antique car meet ups. The possibilities on a Sunday morning could be endless with enough research.

If you are interested in improving your skills and joining an international movement of like minded artists you should come on out. We meet for 3 hours and the goal is always to push the sketches to a level of completion with line, value and color. These are sketches not something for a museum wall. When you stop worrying about the final result you tend to take more chances and surprisingly the sloppy experiments are what works best. In my work the sketches are almost always populated with people, so in one class students sketch one another.

I just got an email from Crealde and unfortunately the January 19 series of classes have been canceled but you should think about signing up of the next series of sessions starting in the spring. I can’t figure out why sketching on location is not more popular in Orlando. I have been sketching everyday on location since 2009. I just did the math, that is 16 years. It is a habit that keeps me motivated and inspired each and every day.

Today I will be unpacking all the sketchbooks I have filled over the past 16 years. They take up a shelf and a half on my handmade bookcase. I also discovered I have tons of wood stretchers and raw canvas. It might be a good time to start working on larger paintings on location. I am now in a rural area town in Florida names Yalaha, so I will soon be hiking into the woods to sketch and perhaps work on larger paintings. This is an exciting time, much like a residency. This new location should inspire me to take more chances moving forward while still working on the COVID Dystopia book.

 

Crealde Urban Sketching Class

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This is a quick sketch done of my students working on the patio behind the Crealde Urban Sketching classroom. This was a demo to show how to do a thumbnail sketch to plan out the composition of a scene.

I do these sketches with no intention of pushing them to a finish to show the early stages of planning a scene. When I work on location on my own, I tent to just jump in and do a sketch that fills the page. The early stages of one of those large sketches would also look a bit like this, with detail pushed aside to block in the big shapes. This sketch really only has one major shape and that is the students on several benches. The general shape is a backwards letter L.

This thumbnail could be pushed further if I went back in and refined shapes using my fountain pen. Instead, I spent my time working with each student to show each how to analyze and sketch their own thumbnails, based on their chosen view.

Baldwin Park Dog Park

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For the last class with my Crealde Urban Sketching students I often take them to Baldwin Park Dog Park. At Crealde I do an in depth lesson on how to draw dogs doing lots of sketched on the chalk board.

Once My students are warmed up and have enough dog sketches under their belts, we head over to Baldwin Park which is a short drive away.

Once in the dog park I do a quick demo showing that the dogs are not the biggest focus of the sketch. Instead the focus it the large trees and the far shore of the lake. People and dogs are scattered throughout but they are tiny compared to the expanse around them. On this day there was an orange utility fence blocking dogs access to the lake.

I work on the demo I sketch I started but walk around and share each stage of the sketch and offer each student thumbnails to show how I might tackle the scene they are sketching. By this class I know what level of finish each student will bring to their work I encourage them on their journey.

Crealde Thumbnails

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My next Crealde Urban Sketching class was canceled since not enough students signed up.These thumbnails were done on the Crealde campus with an Urban Sketching students. He only had a pencil and paper to work with so I used just a pencil to block in the quick compositions. I enjoy doing these since there is no pressure to produce a refined and finished sketch. Looser is better.

Casa Feliz

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I often venture off to sketch Casa Feliz with my Crealde Urban Sketching students. Since I have sketched the same structure many times, I get to play with how I treat the subject without much concern about the final result. I don’t focus explosively on the sketch but also circulate among the students to give them tips and show them my progress.

I think it is a good idea for students to see how much time I spend on each stage of the sketch process so they can make adjustments to their time management. Finishing a sketch in the course of two hours is a challenge if you are studying every detail. The key to this sketch is the blue door. Even outdoors, I remain masked when sketching on location.

Crealde Urban Sketching classes resume on Sunday January 27, 2023.

Crealde Classroom Pandemic Sketch

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In my Crealde Urban Sketching course we tend to take one class to sketch fellow students as they work. I do quick 5 minute sketches to demonstrate how to position a figure on the page.  This particular sketch seems to be a sketch on top pf a sketch. I forget what I was demonstrating with the rough grid pattern. I was probably stressing how to avoid lining everything up on a grid and avoid horizontal and vertical lines.

Most classes are outside exploring the campus with our sketchbooks. I do this because it keeps my students safer during the pandemic. I was advised to offer an advanced urban sketching course but not enough students signed up so it was scrapped. No artist thinks of themselves as intermediate or advanced. Heck every one on my sketches is a series of mistakes.

The next series of Crealde Urban Sketching classes is starting up January 20, 2022. We meet on Sundays from 9:30am to 12:30pm.

Crealde Safety Measures

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I have held most of my Crealde Urban Sketching classes outdoors to help protect my students from possible exposure to the COVID-19 virus. We had one close call where a student who was waiting for the class to start tested positive for COVID.  I had to miss a class when a house guest brought home the virus, having caught it at a summer camp. Miraculously through isolation and diligent wearing of masks at home both Pam and I avoided exposure.

Anyway, at Crealde we explore the Crealde campus with our sketchbooks. I sketch along with the students and I have never run out of interesting angles to draw. The sketches I do here are probably the best documentary sketches I have done of what it is like to responsibly live with the virus.

On Jun 19, 2020 Crealdé School of Art Covid-19 Safety Measures were as follows:

1. We are reducing the maximum number of students in our classes to 6 – 8 students
depending on classroom size and medium.

2. We are re configuring our studio spaces and work tables to allow for 6 feet social
distance. Classroom floors will be clearly marked in a way that student traffic and
pathways utilized will not impede or intrude upon the six-foot or more social
distancing.

3. Galleries and exhibition spaces will be limited to 10 visitors at a time adhering to the
six foot social distancing guideline.

4. On a daily basis, Crealdé and Heritage Center staff are cleaning bathrooms and
disinfecting doors, handles and classroom surfaces.

5. We promote frequent and thorough hand washing by faculty, staff, students and
visitors.

6. We continue to ask that any staff, faculty, students or visitors who are coughing,
sneezing or in general not feeling well, to please stay at home, and to continue to
follow the directions of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or a
health professional. Anyone demonstrating health issues will be asked to leave.

7. Students are encouraged to use their personal work/art tools and equipment when
possible. For youth classes, separate individual “baggies” will be provided for each
student’s class supplies.

8. We are instituting regular/enhanced instructor housekeeping and
maintenance/janitorial practices, including routine cleaning and disinfecting of
surfaces, equipment, and other elements of the school environment after each class
is dismissed.

9. Until further notice, we strongly encourage the wearing of masks in classrooms and
exhibition spaces for students and visitors. All of our instructors will be wearing
masks in class. We have extended  our mandatory mask wearing policy for at least through the winter session.

 

Crealde Classroom

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My Crealde Urban Sketching students were give the challenge to sketch the classroom and include as many of their fellow students as they could in the sketch. I settled in and joined them. Students who wore masks discussed why they choose to do so. One student like myself has never been infected by COVID-19 and it trying to keep it that way. The other student recently recovered from COVID-19 and has no desire to be re-infected. Since 2/3 of the students now choose to not ear masks, I keep the studio door open on the rare days we work inside.

Most of my classes these days are virtual for Elite Animation Academy. I enjoy the virtual classes because I get to work with students one on one and I am sketching along with them so they see how I work at all times. My feedback is far more immediate and interactive online. With the online courses we are learning the foundations of sketching, character design and animating. I particularly enjoy teaching animation since I get to animate a scene with the students every class.